1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to medical safety equipment. Specifically, and not by way of limitation, the present invention relates to a device for holding a container of medicinal or diagnostic agent.
2. Description of the Related Art
As discussed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/187,946 to Beal (Beal), healthcare workers are often required to dispense medication via a syringe from a via or ampule. Normally, the healthcare worker is required to insert a needle of the syringe though a seal on the top portion of a vial, load the syringe with medication, and then inject the medication into the patient. However, there are two well-know safety hazards which are present during this procedure.
One problem involves the risk of accidental needle sticking while loading a syringe, such as where a healthcare worker accidently sticks himself or sticks another individual who is assisting in loading the syringe. This risk is particularly acute when one person holds the vial while the other person inserts the needle into the vial or when the syringe is loaded in a dimly lit room. Each year, hundreds of thousands of health care workers suffer from needle stick accidents. Obviously this is a dangerous situation where the healthcare worker is at risk for contracting many types of blood borne illnesses, such as hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other viral and bacterial diseases.
Another problem occurs when a healthcare worker must load a syringe while working in a sterile environment. In such a situation, loading a syringe presents the risk of contaminating either the healthcare profession or the environment. For example, when a doctor is performing surgery in an operating room, touching an object that has not been sterilized, such as a vial, presents the risk of contamination through the operating field, and the spread of bacteria. To prevent contacting these unsterile objects, typically another individual must hold the vial while the physician loads the syringe. However, the assistance of another person obvious presents an additional risk of contamination, especially when that person's hands come into close proximity to the syringe being loaded. Thus, there is a need for a device that can be sterilized and allows a doctor or other healthcare worker to load a syringe in a sterile environment without the aid of a second individual or allows the second individual to keep his hands away from the syringe.
The prior patent application to Beal discloses such a device which provides a safety device to hold the vial. However, this device also suffers from some disadvantages. Beal discloses a safety device which is U-shaped having two symmetrical arms that must be squeezed together to grip and hold a container of medicinal or diagnostic agent. However, in order to safely grasp and hold the device against the vial, the user must hold both arms together, which can be awkward when attempting to hold the vial. The user may have a syringe in one hand and the safety device in another, while simultaneously trying to hold both arms together to securely hold the vial. A device is needed which automatically holds the vial without the use of a U-shaped safety device.
Additionally, although there are no known prior art teachings of a device such as that disclosed herein, prior art references that discuss subject matter that bears some relation to matters discussed herein are U.S. Pat. No. 2,908,923 to Schlechter (Schlechter). U.S. Pat. No. 3,214,210 to Keim (Keim), U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,020 to Fifield et. al. (Fifield), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,034 to Anderson (Anderson).
Schlechter discloses a lens cleaning device having a body with a handle and an outwardly extending U-shaped arm. The arm includes a lens cleaning element mounted to the U-shaped arm. Although this device is non-analogous art, the device does disclose a U-shaped arm which may be squeezed together to retain an object, namely a lens. However, Schlechter does not teach or suggest a device which automatically compresses its arms to retain a vial. Schlechter suffers from the disadvantage of requiring pressure to be applied by the user to retain the object. Schlechter also does not disclose retaining a vial or any object within the U-shaped arm.
Keim discloses a device to remove electronic tubes which includes a handle having a U-shape and a pair of parallel elongated arms which are hinged. However, Keim does not teach or suggest a device which automatically allows the arms to compress inwardly to hold a vial. Keim requires the user to hold both arms together to retain an object.
Fifield discloses a nail holder having a resilient plastic handle formed in a U-shape and a pair of parallel arms. The device is hinged and may be squeezed together to grip an object. Fifield also does not teach or suggest a device which automatically compresses without the user squeezing both arms together.
Anderson discloses a device for holding records which includes a U-shaped handle having a pair of arms. The arms must also be squeezed to together to retain an object. Anderson does not teach or suggest a device which automatically compresses its arms to retain the vial.
The above patents all disclose a generally U-shaped device for retaining objects. However, as discussed above, the patents fail to disclose a device which includes two arms that automatically compress to retain a vial. All of the above patents merely use two arms that require the user to squeeze the arms together to retain the object. Additionally, because the arms are hinged on only one end, the grasping and holding of the vial is awkward for the user when combined with the task of driving a needle into the vial.
Additionally, there are other prior art references which disclose devices for retaining objects, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,862,776 to Sims et al. (Sims), U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,388 to Seibel (Seibel), U.S. Pat. No. 2,875,982 to Unglesby (Unglesby), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,179,954 to Whalen (Whalen). However, all of these devices are hinged on only one end and require the user to apply force to hold the arms together.
Sims discloses a tool for gripping objects. The tool includes two rigid arms which are hinged together on one end. The user must apply force to grip an object by squeezing the two arms together. Sims does not teach or suggest a device which includes arms which automatically compress to hold a vial.
Seilbel disclose a plastic bag transport device for having two arms which are used to retain a plurality of plastic bags. Seibel does not teach or suggest a device which automatically places pressure on a retained object.
Unglesby discloses a gripping device having two elongated arms which are hinged together. Unglesby does not teach or suggest a device which automatically retains an object.
Whalen discloses a pair of elongated griping members which are hinged on one end and used for opening a bottle or jar. Whalen requires the user to exert force on the members to retain an object.
Sims, Siebel, Unglesby, and Whalen all disclose two elongated members which are hinged on one side and require the user to position the members together. All of these patents suffer from the disadvantage of requiring the user to exert force by bringing the elongated members together.
Thus, it would be a distinct advantage to have an apparatus which is not hinged on one side and does not require the user to squeeze together the elongated arms to retain an object. It is an object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus.